tigable, a ship of the same force as those taken by Captain Lee. The remainder of the enemy’s squadron, viz. la Tamise of 44 guns, la Sylphe and la Lynx brigs, each mounting 18 guns, escaped.
From the crippled state of the Monarch, her standing and running rigging being cut to pieces, and every boat except one rendered useless, her commander, after receiving the swords of the two French Captains who had submitted to him, found himself under the necessity of requesting the prisoners to be taken on board the other ships of the British squadron, which was accordingly done as soon as they could arrive up for that purpose.
The Monarch’s loss was proportionate to the share she had taken in the transactions of this day. It consisted of 1 Midshipman and 5 seamen killed; Lieutenant Anderson, the Boatswain, 1 Midshipman, and 25 men wounded[1]. The Centaur had 3 men killed, and 4, including Sir Samuel Hood, wounded. Of the other ships under that officer’s orders, the Mars alone succeeded in closing with the enemy; she had not a man hurt. The enemy made an obstinate resistance; but the result was, as may well be supposed, attended with much slaughter, each ship having on board about 650 men, including troops. The prizes were fine frigates, of large dimensions, and had sailed from Rochefort the evening before, full of stores, arms, ammunition, and provisions.
We next find Captain Lee employed in the blockade of the Tagus, on which service he continued until the departure of the royal family of Portugal from Lisbon, when the Monarch was detached under the orders of Commodore (now Sir Graham) Moore, to escort the illustrious fugitives and their attendants to South America[2]. Soon after the arrival of the fleet at Brazil, our officer was entrusted with the command of three ships of the line and two frigates, with which he proceeded to the Rio de la Plata, where he entered into a treaty
- ↑ Sir Samuel Hood, in his official account of the action, says, “I cannot add too much praise to Captain Lee, of the Monarch, for his gallant and officer like conduct; but I am sorry to find his loss has been rather severe, the swell of the sea preventing, at times, the opening of the lower-deck ports.”
- ↑ See pp. 321, 536.
